Joining tracks is just the start

There is much, much more to building an international railway than slapping together thousands of kilometers of track.

Signals have to mesh, trains must be able to carry standard containers, rules and regulations need to be unified and a common language for drivers and engineers has to be agreed upon.

Then there is the practical matter of rail gauge. China's railways use standard gauge tracks that are 1,435 mm apart. Russia's tracks are gauged at 1,520 mm. Tracks in Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia are 1,000 mm.